What did President-elect Joe Biden say in his speech today?
PRESIDENT-elect Joe Biden spoke about a variety of topics in a speech from his home base in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden will move into the White House when he is inaugurated on January 20.
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What did Biden say about the coronavirus vaccine?
Biden told reporters during his televised speech on November 16 that he would not "hesitate" to get vaccinated, "but I also want to set an example."
"The only reason people question the vaccine now is because of Donald Trump," he said.
Biden toppled the incumbent Trump in this month's election, but the president has refused to concede.
Biden applauded the progress made by Pfizer and Moderna in producing vaccines, and said "I think we're on a clear path now."
"They appear to be ready for prime time, ready to be used."
There have been about 11 million coronavirus cases in the US with nearly 250,000 deaths.
What did Biden say about the transition period?
Biden says the outgoing administration’s failure to share specific plans on combating the pandemic is damaging businesses’ abilities to find ways to survive in difficult circumstances.
He slammed Trump for "playing golf" as the Covid stimulus package stalls and said "more people may die if we don't coordinate" a transition.
Biden said that “the sooner we have access to the administration’s distribution plan, the sooner this transition will smoothly move forward.”
He said the country needs to boost “small businesses and entrepreneurs that are the backbone of our communities but are teetering on the edge.”
“For millions of Americans who’ve lost hours and wages or have lost jobs, we can deliver immediate relief and it needs be done quickly,” Biden said, according to The New York Times.
“Congress should come together and pass a Covid relief package” along the same lines of the $3trillion bill that House Democrats passed earlier this year.
What did Biden say about his meeting with business leaders?
Biden says he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had an “encouraging” virtual meeting with nine leaders of some of the country’s largest labor unions.
Biden says the leaders “all agree that means rallying the country behind a national strategy with robust public health measures.”
“To state the obvious, we seem to be turning a pretty dark corner now,” Biden told the group of leaders.
“I don't want to be falsely optimistic,” he continued.
But “I think we can do this.”
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